Search - Road to Perdition [Widescreen & DTS] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Language Movie Release: 2002 DVD Release: 02/25/2003 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 57 mins Studio: DreamWorks Total Copies: 7 Genres: Drama, Crime, Period Film, Crime Drama, Gangster Film See Also: Road to Perdition [Fullscreen], Road to Perdition [Widescreen]

The acclaimed graphic novel from crime writer Max Allan Collins becomes this big budget Dreamworks drama from director Sam Mendes and screenwriter David Self. Tom Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan, a morally conflicted Depression-era hit man committing murder in the name of his employer, John Rooney (Paul Newman). A kindly, aging Irish crime boss who raised Sullivan as his surrogate son, Rooney is affiliated with Al Capone in Chicago and thus wields great power in the "Tri-Cities" of Moline, IL; Rock Island, IL; and Davenport, IA. Curious about his father's mysterious profession, Sullivan's son, Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin), stows away in his father's automobile one night and witnesses the execution of a man at the hands of Sullivan and Rooney's biological son, Connor (Daniel Craig). Although Michael keeps his promise to remain silent about what he's seen, the paranoid and unstable Connor tries to wipe out the entire Sullivan clan anyway, succeeding only in killing Sullivan's wife, Annie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and youngest son, Peter (Liam Aiken). Enraged at this and another surprise betrayal by the Rooneys, Sullivan embarks on a path of bloody retribution, Michael in tow. Although he intends to leave his boy with relatives in the rural town of Perdition once the coast is clear, he ends up exposing Michael to the goriest aspects of his talents, slaughtering former associates as he dodges contract assassin Maguire (Jude Law) and cripples the cash flow of the Rooney and Capone organizations through a series of bank robberies, attempting to force either mob family to offer up the sequestered Connor as a sacrifice. Inspired by the popular Japanese comic book series -Lone Wolf and Cub and based loosely on an episode from the life and career of notorious real-life crime figures John and Connor Looney, Road to Perdition co-stars Stanley Tucci as legendary Chicago mobster Frank Nitti. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Tom Hanks - Michael Sullivan
Paul Newman - John Rooney
Jude Law - Maguire
Jennifer Jason Leigh - Annie Sullivan
Stanley Tucci - Frank Nitti

It's somewhat disappointing when a high profile film doesn't get the star treatment on DVD, which is certainly the case with Road to Perdition. Dreamworks has decided to release three versions, one in pan and scan, one in widescreen, and this one, also in widescreen, but with a DTS soundtrack as well as the Dolby Digital track. While this film is perfectly suited for a two-disc special edition, sadly, that isn't the case. Extras are good, but decidedly slim. The two main points of interest are a commentary track from director Sam Mendes and a handful of unusually good deleted scenes, also with optional commentary from the director. The commentary track is both informative and exceptionally intelligent. Mendes is a perfect orator, with plenty to offer anecdotally. Beyond these supplements is a standard photo gallery and lengthy cast and crew biographies and production notes. Missing on this disc, reportedly due to the inclusion of the DTS track which takes up more space, is an HBO featurette on the making of the film. As with the extras, the rest of the disc is good, but a bit of a letdown. The image, framed at 2.35:1, is often a little soft. Many scenes are intentionally dark, and that hurts the detail. Skin tones, as well as the limited palette of color, are generally very good though. As mentioned, there are both Dolby Digital and DTS tracks on this version, and no complaints there. While it's not the most active soundtrack, and far more dialogue driven, there are still some particular instances where the auditory elements take charge, creating a sound field that is very impressive. Something seems missing here with this DVD; with a movie so good, it's really a shame that more hasn't been done. ~ Trent Fordham, All Movie Guide